Reactivation of the Maastricht – Lanaken railway line

In 1990, a goods train travelled along the single track, cross-border line connecting the Dutch city of Maastricht and the Belgian town of Lanaken. At that time, it was known to be the last goods train to ever travel on the track. However, this 6km long goods line is now being reactivated with support from the European Union. Following an administrative decision-making process that took several years, and extensive debate concerning usefulness and necessity, finance and conservation, the planning decision was finally taken in 2007 to reopen the line. The rail link, which is to provide access to a new business park near Lanaken, is due for completion in 2010.

After the last train used the line in 1990, the infrastructure manager, ProRail, ceased maintaining the 4km long stretch of line located within the Netherlands in 1992. The landscape surrounding the track was therefore left to grow wild. The all but deserted railway embankment then became the ideal living environment for rare species of plants and animals.

Backing out

The significant value of the natural area surrounding the old railway line was not the sole subject that concerned parties involved discussed at length before finally reaching an agreement. Paper manufacturer Sappi, which had launched the initiative to reactivate the line in the early 90s together with the Dutch and Belgian Province of Limburg, backed out at an advanced stage of the decision-making process due to the provision of further insight into the economic issues. This gave cause for heated discussions concerning the project’s usefulness and necessity. Following protracted negotiations, the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Transport, Public Works & Water Management; the Dutch Province of Limburg and the Municipality of Maastricht ultimately reached an agreement on the allocation of the envisaged costs of the project, which amount to some €15 million. This includes a grant of €1.5 million from the cross-border Interreg programme for the Border Region Flanders – The Netherlands, funded by the European Union.

Quiet

ProRail commenced its renovation work in 2007 and the configuration of the route is as follows. From the Maastricht railway yard, the single-track diesel line curves away in a westerly direction. Shortly afterwards, the first civil engineering structure looms into view. Across the River Maas, lies an old rail bridge with a span of some 220 metres, which was built in 1926. Part of the rail bridge structure has been adapted to form a lift bridge. The lift bridge, which offers a navigable passage some 30 metres wide, has been constantly open since 1992, to avoid causing any obstacle to shipping. The steel bridge is to be cleaned, repainted and fitted with a new lift mechanism. In addition, ProRail intend to take measures to render the bridge less noisy. This bridge over the River Maas is to be remotely operated from the ProRail traffic control centre in Maastricht. In contrast to days gone by, the bridge is no longer raised to offer passage to shipping, but is now lowered whenever a train needs to cross. After all, a closed lift bridge would form too low a barrier to the Maas’ busy shipping lanes. However, please note, that although this has yet to be finalised, it is thought to be the most likely outcome. ProRail and the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management are still discussing the exact details of the opening schedule.

Worn

Until 1992, this route section did not have the protection of a signalling system. However, in the near future, an automatic half-barrier level crossing is to be constructed beyond the bridge, at Bosscherweg. Due to the introduction of this level crossing, the line is also to be equipped with signalling, which will close the barriers as soon as a train is detected. As the remainder of the line after the Bosscherweg crossing is built on a dike, no further level crossings will be necessary. However, it will cross several viaducts and the bridge over the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal. The old steel bridge over this canal is not suitable to bear the heavier axle loads of goods trains (D4 axle load) which have to be taken into consideration for the renovated route section. The brick-built abutments are to be restored first, whereupon a new ‘quiet’ steel rail bridge across the canal is to be built, which will produce minimal noise emissions. Noise reduction is, after all, a paramount issue to ProRail. The rail infrastructure manager therefore pays close consideration to such aspects of all construction projects in the Netherlands. Furthermore, a speed limit of 30kph will be applicable on the Maastricht – Lanaken route section once it has been completed. This speed limit in itself already vouches for limited noise nuisance.

The raised railway line then crosses the viaduct at Fort Willemweg. Adjacent to the existing viaduct at this point on the route, is a twin span bridge, which used to carry the branch line to the Sappi plant. Following a minor yet thorough facelift, this twin span bridge is to be relocated a short distance to replace the old railway viaduct on the existing line. ProRail has already started renovating the brick archway of the viaduct at Sillebergweg, which will render it fit for service for many years to come.

Historic bridge

A little further along, the line crosses a classic rail bridge dating from 1856, the year in which the Aken-Maastricht Railway Company started operating on the Aken – Maastricht – Hasselt connection. This bridge is also to be replaced with an entirely new low-noise rail bridge. The abutments of this bridge over Brusselseweg are a municipal monument. The marlstone towers and cast iron spires of this castle-like structure are stunning. However, during the course of time, the bridge has lost much of its authentic character. The Municipality of Maastricht, which sets great store by the city’s historic architecture, viewed the plans for the renovation of the railway line as a good opportunity to participate in the project. The municipal executive’s contribution will enable ProRail to restore the bridge to its former glory. A little way beyond this exceptional component of the project follows the line’s final viaduct on Dutch soil. This underpass at Kantoorweg is also being renovated and adapted to bear the burden of D4 loads.

Furthermore, ProRail is replacing the superstructure, which will comprise of concrete ballast instead of timber sleepers and new rails, along this entire 4km stretch of line. The construction work on the line on the Dutch side of the border is due for completion in the second quarter of 2009. ProRail’s Belgian counterpart will then commence with the remaining 2km section of track to Lanaken. It will also lay the set of tracks at the new business park. The Belgian railway construction gang cannot carry out completion operations until the Dutch section is operational, as they intend to transport the building materials along the new line.

All in all, this renovation project is not really exceptional in terms of rail construction. What does make it special, however, is the attention that ProRail is devoting to the conservation of unique plants and animals found within its area of operations. At ProRail’s request, the RAVON Foundation – which specialises in the protection of indigenous fish, reptiles and amphibians – performed an extensive study of the habitat around the railway embankment. As no maintenance had been carried out on the line for some fifteen years, and the vegetation had not been cut back either, the area has grown rather wild. Plants and animals have been found on and around the timber sleepers while sufficient holes and cracks which have appeared are now providing shelter for these unique species. The RAVON foundation submitted a proposal for the development of a new living environment for these species. 50-metre-long, dry stone walls are to be built, which comprise ample cracks and hole to accommodate the common wall lizard. These special walls will be built 1.5 to 2 metres high and spread out along a stretch of some 1,500 metres long, with intervening areas of shrubbery and other vegetation in which the common wall lizard can find food. ProRail will also lay solid piles of timber around the walls, in which the common lizard and the slow worm should feel entirely at home. A specially developed reptile screen is to be set up between the railway construction site and the new living environment, to prevent these excellent climbers from venturing back onto the line. Once their new habitat is ready, the protected species will be caught and relocated by RAVON’s volunteers. With a view to causing as little stress as possible to the animals, they are to be captured outside the breeding season, but within a period in which they are nevertheless sufficiently active. They will then be rehoused.

Relocation

Only when the conservation project has been completed, will ProRail permit the contractor to commence with railway construction work. The entire scheduling of construction has therefore been aligned with the natural behaviour of these protected species. And this was a firm condition laid down by the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries, before granting ProRail exemption from the requirement of an environmental permit. Even when the line becomes operational, ProRail will continue to take into consideration the conservation area.

Light rail

The Maastricht – Lanaken project is intended purely for the transport of goods. However, both the Dutch and Belgian provinces of Limburg do envisage possibilities for the introduction of a light rail passenger service using this line at some point in the future. The Lanaken – Maastricht railway line is referred to explicitly in the ‘Spartacus Plan’ for the improvement of public transport in Flemish Limburg. The line would make it possible to travel by rail from the university city of Hasselt – via the Diepenbeek campus and Lanaken – to the Dutch university city of Maastricht within just 26 minutes. Both universities, which already cooperate with one another, are firmly in favour of the idea, as are their municipal executives. For the time being, however, plans have not been developed to such an extent as to enable technical modifications on the Maastricht – Lanaken route section within the scope of the renovation of the goods line. ProRail will therefore continue to focus on the operations required to ensure that goods trains can once more operate on this historic route section by 2010.

About the author

Jan Derks

Mr. Jan Derks has been employed at ProRail since 1988. His past job functions include Rail Traffic Engineer, Plan Developer and Operational Project Leader. Mr. Derks has been Project Manager since 2003.